Rice alcohol, the new trendy snobbism? It looks like it. To be convinced, head for Etienne Marce,l where La Maison du Saké has just opened. The new venture of Youlin Ly (Sakebar, Sola, Ciel, that’s him) is already the place to go have a drink in style.
Hipsters, foodies and Japanese dolls have spread the word. Under the roof of this huge Japanese neo-pavilion—no less than 6000 bottles distillated all around the country. Things are jumping at the counter: go for their strawberry flavored saké, before trying the izakaya, the Tokyo version of a tapas bar for an amazing food-saké pairing.
Balls of rice dough and foie gras (4€), fried red tuna, like a fish and chips (10€), chicken nuggets (12€), shrimp tempura (13€), each plate has its sparkling, fruity liquid swallow—hot or cold. Like wine, but better— « kanpaï »!
Tip top: the bento lunch formula (11-15€).
Bar open every night starting at 5pm, restaurant open every night starting at 7pm. Bentos everyday starting at noon Count 3-4€ for a glass of saké.
By Julie Zwingelstein @JulieZwing
